KINGSTON, N.Y. -- A six-figure repair bill is likely for new leaks that have been discovered in the troublesome stormwater tunnel beneath Washington Avenue, according to City Engineer Ralph Swenson.

Swenson said the leaks, evident in new video, are "minor," unlike others that have sprung in the 100-year-old tunnel that carries stormwater from Lucas Avenue to the Rondout Creek.

The leaky tunnel has been blamed for the Washington Avenue sinkhole that opened near Linderman Avenue in April 2012 and has led to part of Washington Avenue being closed and the need for repairs that already have cost $1.5 million.

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Swenson said his office will seek bids from contractors to fix the latest leaks. He estimated the repair work will cost $132,000.

"We want to deal with it now so that we don't have to worry about it later," Swenson said after informing the Common Council's Finance/Economic Development Committee about the new leaks at a meeting Wednesday night.

Swenson said he expects repair work on the new leaks to start in March.

The leaks were discovered during a video camera inspection last month by Brinniner and Larios, a consulting engineering firm, Swenson said.

The engineer previously said the closed portion of Washington Avenue probably would reopen by the end of the summer. On Wednesday, though, he told the council committee that it might be "a little bit later."

The city recently received a $1.12 million federal grant to do additional work on the tunnel. In all, the Common Council has authorized borrowing $1.8 million for repairs.

Swenson has said new piping work still needs to be done to divert groundwater away from the tunnel, along with the installation of monitoring wells.

Besides closing of the roadway, the collapse of Washington Avenue near Linderman Avenue has damaged water pipes, neighborhood driveways and even threatened the operation of the city's wastewater treatment plant on East Strand.